The Regret in the Morning
by boneslove14
Summary: Sometimes the danger isn't obvious, sometimes the danger can't be avoided. When you're always worried about snipers or ex-cons, you might get blindsided by the mundane.
1. The Regret in the Morning

This is my first ever fanfiction. I've been thinking about writing this story for a while and finally did it. I would love any reviews.

I don't own Bones or any characters

_Thump, Thump, Thump_ all he could hear was the sound of his heart pounding in his ears. As he sprinted toward the smoking metal heap, everything went blurry. A crowd was forming and policemen were trying to keep a perimeter. Booth shoved his way past the officers screaming, "BONES!" As he got closer to the mangled pile that had been her car, all Booth could see was the puddle of blood dripping from the driver's side door.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B

**1 HOUR EARLIER**

"Booth, we're going to be late!" Brennan was impatiently waiting downstairs in the foyer for her partner to finish getting dressed. Their new home was further away from both the Lab and the Hoover and Booth wasn't used to the longer commute.

"I wouldn't be taking so long if you hadn't kept me up all night."

"It's not my fault that our child is a night owl. At least we know she has strong gross motor coordination."

"Meanwhile, when you don't sleep, I don't sleep." Booth half-heartedly complained from upstairs.

Brennan had been the one with a baby kicking her all night, yet she had managed to get up and get ready on time. Booth blaming her for something out of her control was grating her nerves and she sighed heavily in aggravation.

Hearing her impatient sighs added to his grumpiness so Booth barked, "Bones, why don't you just drive yourself today."

"Fine." She gathered her bag, jacket and keys and headed for the door. She maneuvered her 7 months pregnant belly behind the wheel of her tiny car and headed for the Lab. She felt uncomfortable leaving Booth after an argument but she also hated being late to work. In the past they had settled their arguments in a timely manner so this time should be no different. But she also had noticed that the farther along in her pregnancy she got, the more frequently they squabbled.

About 2 seconds after Bones slammed their front door, Booth regretted his morning moodiness. It wasn't Bones' fault that their little girl was active. He loved that woman with every beat of his heart and his soon-to-be-born daughter was the best dream he never knew he wanted. He was about to run after her to apologize but her car was already down the street.

_I'll bring her favorite lunch from the diner to the Lab later as a peace offering_ Booth vowed as he got into his SUV and headed to the Hoover twenty minutes after Brennan had left.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B

The commute from their new house to the Hoover took about thirty minutes if you hit every green light and Booth was getting red every time. Being 9:30, he was already late and thinking about using his sirens to get there faster when something on his scanner made his blood run cold.

"We've got a two car accident on Main St. in front of Royal Diner. A black Chevy pickup truck and its driver are unharmed but the blue Toyota Prius involved is totaled and the driver, a pregnant female, is injured. Request EMT and police."

_OH MY GOD BONES!_

Booth knew Bones always took the same route to work that ran in front of their favorite eatery. Her blue Prius could barely contain her new pregnant physique; she could barely reach the steering wheel around the bump of their daughter. He had insisted that she stop driving until after the baby was born and to his surprise she agreed without argument. Then this morning he was grumpy from lack of sleep and made her drive. Now he was sure she was involved in the accident he heard on the scanner.

Sirens blaring, Booth raced to into the city towards the love of his life. His mind went blank in shock, unable to process what he might be approaching. With the aid of the sirens he cut the commute to ten minutes and was arriving on scene as the Jaws of Life were arriving. His gut wrenched because he had heard that the pickup was fine so the Jaws had to be for the smaller car involved, Bones' car.

"BONES!" Booth was screaming and pushing past the officers, "That's my wife's car!" He didn't have time to explain their relationship to them so he shortened it with the one word that came close to describing it. The officers keeping the growing crowd back let him through. As he got closer to her car, which looked like a crumpled piece of paper, Booth couldn't focus on anything but the huge pool of blood leaking from her door. He saw her then and his knees went weak. He tried to get to the unconscious form that was his Bones but the EMTs were surrounding her.

"Get a neck brace!"

"Be careful of the lacerations on her abdomen."

Booth dropped to his knees when he saw the steering wheel imbedded in the same place where his daughter slept.

"Hurry up; she's losing too much blood!"

Tears filled Booth's eyes as he watched, helplessly.

Together they had survived being kidnapped, a brain tumor, gunshots, being stabbed and had finally found happiness by loving each other, and now all of that was disappearing because of a car accident. Years of denying true feelings and wasting time worrying about change when they could have been happy. He regretted years ago giving up so easily the night he confessed his love, he regretted hurting Bones with Hannah, but mostly he regretted his self-centered attitude this morning.

_Why didn't I drive her? Why did the truck hit her car? Why is this happening when we just found each other? Why did we waste so much time?_

All of these thoughts raced in his mind as the EMTs used the Jaws of Life to save his Bones. When she was finally freed of the car, he barely recognized her. Blood stained her shirt at her abdomen and it ran down her thighs and pooled on the back brace she was placed on. Her hair was littered with glass shards from the driver's side window and small cuts marked her face. Her blue eyes were shut but the paramedics assured Booth she was still alive. He was at her side now, silently praying, holding her hand. _She had to be okay, their baby girl had to be okay, they had to be okay._

The EMTs let Booth ride in the ambulance as they packed her wounds trying to stop the bleeding. They hooked her up to oxygen and a heart monitor. Booth held her blood splattered hand in both of his and continued to pray. Suddenly Booth felt her pulse start racing and then she started convulsing and the paramedic moved him out of the way.

"She's seizing. Her pupils are dilated and her pulse is racing. We need to get to the hospital NOW!"

Booth watched in horror as Bones shook violently and he felt dizzy when blood started gushing from between her legs.

"She has cervical hemorrhaging and the baby is in distress."

"What does that mean?" Booth demanded in hoarse voice. It was the first thing he'd said out loud since first arriving on scene.

"It means your baby is in danger and we need to get her out right away."

Booth was nauseous. He couldn't comprehend the situation in front of him; Bones lying unconscious and bleeding out and his baby girl in danger of dying with her mother. _How had this day come to this?_

Finally the ambulance had reached the hospital and the EMTs loaded Brennan out and rushed her to an OR. They left Booth, now covered in Bones' blood staring at the swinging door with a promise of an update as soon as possible.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B

It was 11am and the local news was making a breaking news announcement on the small TV in the waiting room. "World renowned Forensic Anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan has been critically injured in an auto incident earlier today. Her condition is life threatening. The fate of her unborn child is unknown at this time"

"Shut that off now!" Booth ordered to no one in particular.

Angela, Hodgins, Cam, and Sweets had joined Booth at the hospital soon after Brennan was wheeled into surgery. The small group filled a section of the waiting room, quietly waiting to hear the fate of their beloved friend and colleague.

Angela had been crying quietly since she and Hodgins got the call that Brennan had been in an accident. She knew her best friend had been jubilantly excited about having this baby and finally being with Booth. She couldn't comprehend what kind of world it would be if Brennan and her baby didn't make it. Booth wouldn't survive that loss.

Hodgins sat next to Angela and held her hand. He could relate to Booth's misery because not too long ago he had been worried about his baby. But Hodgins couldn't imagine how it felt to not know if both your love and your baby might not survive.

Cam also wondered how Booth was coping. She had known Seeley for many years and she knew that he loved Brennan, Parker, and his daughter more than anything in this world and that if any one of them were taken from him that he wouldn't be able to go on. Booth was a sniper, an FBI Agent, yet his one weakness was Brennan. It had taken them years to learn how to love each other but now that they did they were both finally happy. Booth deserved to be happy.

The cruelty of this accident was felt by everyone. Brennan, a usually stoic person, had been increasingly emotional and excited about her baby. Finally being in love with a wonderful man, having a dream home, and having a daughter had encouraged Brennan to connect more with her friends and Booth. They had all noticed her effort to be more social and caring and applauded her new personality. Booth always knew this side of her, but seeing her trust their friends enough to show it made his heart melt. Now everything was falling apart.

"Seeley Booth?" a scrub-clad doctor called.

"I'm Booth, what's going on with Bones and the baby?"

"Dr. Brennan lost almost all of her blood volume due to the accident. The extreme blood loss caused her body to go into shock which triggered labor. We did an emergency Caesarean and delivered your daughter. Being two months premature, her lungs are slightly underdeveloped so she needs a ventilator to help her breathe. She's in NICU so you can see her now."

"What about Bones?"

"After we delivered your daughter, we gave Dr. Brennan blood transfusions to restore her blood volume. We had to place her under a medically induced coma because of the shock her body went through. She needs to stay in the coma for a few days so her brain and other organs can recuperate. If all goes well she will probably wake up and be at her normal brain function."

"Probably have normal brain function? What do you mean probably? Shouldn't you know for sure?"

"In traumatic cases like these, everybody reacts differently to extreme blood loss. Dr. Brennan's body was already stressed with the pregnancy, so there is a chance that the blood loss was too much for her brain."

"What does that mean?" Booth asked in a quiet voice, afraid of the answer he already knew.

"It means that there's a chance she might never wake up."

Booth blacked out, his brain finally shutting down, unable to accept the newest Hell of today. His body started slumping to the floor and Hodgins, Sweets and the doctor reached to catch him.

"Mr. Booth….are you okay…whoa someone get a stretcher, he's out."

Chapter 2 Coming Soon


	2. The Fallacy in Happily Ever After

Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews; they encouraged me to write Chapter 2 immediately.

I don't own Bones or any characters

_It was a dream. A nightmare really, but still not real._ These were Booth's thought as he opened his eyes. _What a horrible dream_. But then he slowly realized he was in an unfamiliar room. The stark white walls were not in his bedroom and the mechanical beeping he heard wasn't something he immediately recognized. Then the memories of earlier today started rushing back, _their argument, the accident on the scanner, racing to the accident, her unrecognizable car, the seizure in the ambulance, their daughter was born, Bones might not wake up. Bones!_

To his horror he looked over and saw the comatose form of Brennan across the room. He tripped over a side table on his way to her bed. He stared in agony at the numerous tubes running in and out of her body. They connected to large screens on both sides of her, showing vital information that he had no idea how to read. Her pregnancy glow had been replaced with a lifeless ash coloring. Also gone was the majority of her former belly. Their daughter was somewhere in this hospital, alone. He felt many things: guilt, worry, but in this moment he felt shame. He was supposed to protect them both, keep them safe and happy. Instead he had passed out and left them both alone. He couldn't do anything for Bones, as much as he wanted to, but he could see his daughter.

They had prepared for their little girl for months, making up the nursery right next to their room, talking to Parker about being a big brother. Booth's favorite part of their preparations came at night, before him and Bones would fall asleep. He'd spoon her, hands caressing their baby, and they'd whisper to each other all of the hopes and dreams they had for their daughter. Brennan of course wanted her to be scholarly and Booth wanted her to be athletic. They both wanted her to have happiness. Bones had surprised him with her newest wish. The pregnancy hormones had made Bones forthcoming with emotion but he knew it was really part of who she had always been.

"_Do you know what I really wish for her Booth?"_

"_Hmmm… graduate with a Doctorate by 15?" Booth chuckled._

"_While that would be quite impressive and possible with my progeny, that's not what I was thinking. I wish that she finds the kind of love that you and I share. I want her to meet the person who protects her, respects her, and accepts her like you do for me. Of course I hope she does not take quite as long finding it as we did." _

"_Oh Bones I want that too." Booth choked out. Her words had given him a lump in his throat because they mirrored how he felt. "I love you."_

"_I love you too, good night."_

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B

Booth lightly kissed Brennan on the forehead, trying not to bump any wires or tubes and walked out of the ICU. He ran into the doctor who had updated him about Bones.

"Oh Mr. Booth I see you are back with us now. I assure you fainting is the brain's way of processing shock, and your brain had a lot of that today. Your friends waited for you to come around for a while but left a little bit ago."

"Is there any change in Bones?"

"No, like I said earlier her brain needs to rest for a couple days. We'll know more then."

"In that case I need to see my daughter now."

"Yes of course, NICU is on the fourth floor, go to the nurse's station and they can take you to her."

"Thank you, let me know if anything happens down here with her."

"Of course."

Booth headed to the elevators and punched the fourth floor button. Looking at the clock in the elevator he realized he must have been passed out for over 2 hours. He also realized his button down and tie had been replaced with a scrub shirt. Someone had changed his blood covered shirt while he was passed out. Again shame surfaced. He should have been able to handle anything, especially when it concerned his family. Instead he had been lying in a bed. _From now on I will be by their sides until they're better._

The kind nurses on the NICU floor had heard about Dr. Brennan's accident and about Booth. They knew the disheveled man getting off the elevator would be looking for baby girl Booth.

"Mr. Booth? I'm Amber, your daughter's nurse. I can take you to see her if you'd like."

"Yes please."

"Has anyone talked to you about her yet?"

Panic hit Booth like a truck. "No, what's wrong?"

"Well with any premature birth, the baby can experience a number of health issues. Your daughter is in the smallest weight percentile and weighs only 1.8lbs. Her lungs are slightly underdeveloped so she does have a ventilator helping her breath. She also has a feeding tube inserted. I just want you to be prepared for when you see her."

"She's less than a pound? Can she…Will she…" Booth struggled to finish his question. "Will she make it?"

"I have seen even smaller babies survive with more health issues than your daughter. She's seems like a fighter."

"She gets that from her mom."

Amber led Booth to a small washroom outside of the room that his daughter was in. He scrubbed his hands and put on a pink paper gown and gloves and entered the room. He felt the air rush out of his lungs as he stared into the small incubator that housed his even smaller daughter. She wore the smallest pink hat and diaper he had ever seen. She could fit in the palm of his hand if he could hold her. But even in her tiny face, he could see her mother's features. Tears streamed quietly down his cheeks and Amber left him alone with his daughter.

Booth pulled a chair up to the box and sat next to his little girl.

"Hi baby, I'm your daddy. Your mommy wants to meet you too but she's sleeping right now. I have been waiting for you for so long and I love you so much. You are daddy's perfect angel."

Booth reached gently into the opening on the side of the incubator and lightly touched her small hand. To his amazement, her tiny fist clenched around the tip of his pinky finger.

"You are a fighter just like your mommy. You are both going to get better and then we'll all go home together. Me, and mommy, and your older brother Parker are going to keep you safe and happy for all of your life little girl. All you need to do is grow. Okay, you just grow and I'll be here."

Booth stayed with his daughter until night came. The new shift of nurses were just as kind as the first and let him stay past visiting hours. Eventually though, he went to see Brennan, and told his daughter goodnight.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B

Booth smiled for this first time today as he rode the elevator back down to see Bones. His daughter, their daughter, was beautiful. Her birth had not been the way they had planned but she was here and fighting. Her tiny grip gave him the first light of hope he had felt all day. Booth stepped out of the elevator and turned down the hall, headed for Bones' room when he heard a commotion. He looked towards the action and for the second time today his heartbeat deafeningly drummed in his ears. _Thump _doctors and nurses were running into Bones' room,_ Thump _**Code Blue, Code Blue** was screaming over the intercom,_ Thump_ Booth ran into the room and watched in horror as the paddles hit her chest_, Thump _"Clear! Charge it again! Clear!"

With every "Clear!" the doctor struck Brennan with the paddles and then everyone in the room would watch the monitor. The solid line would quiver with the promise of life and then die again into another solid line. Booth stood in the corner losing his mind as Bones died in front of him over and over again.

_This isn't it, this can't be it. I need her! Her daughter needs her!_ Booth screamed angrily at God in his mind. _You can't take her from me, I just found her. It's not fair. We were finally happy. Take me instead. Let her raise our daughter, please don't take her._ Booth swiped at unwanted tears to clear his blurry vision. He couldn't look away.

Finally he heard a steady _beep, beep, beep, beep, beep_ coming from the monitor. The doctor pressed his stethoscope to Brennan's chest and shook his head reassuringly. Bones was not dead.

The doctor walked over to Booth, ready to answer the questions he knew were coming.

"What in the Hell happened? I told you to find me if something changed!" Booth yelled into the doctor's face. Anger had quickly replaced his grief.

"It happened so fast. Her heart just stopped. We had to act quickly to resuscitate her, and taking the time to alert you would have interfered with her care. As you see, her heart rate is normal again."

"What do you mean her heart just stopped? You said all I needed to worry about was her brain function."

"In relation to her brain being affected by major blood loss, her heart was also affected. That is why we now have her on a ventilator. It seems that she has stopped breathing on her own, whereas before she could still do that."

"Are you telling me that she's getting worse? Because it sounds like you're saying that she's worse now than she was when I left a few hours ago."

"Yes, technically she is doing worse than she was, but relatively her condition cannot improve fully until she wakes up. You shouldn't measure her condition until a few days pass. We'll know more then."

"You keep saying that like I can just not care for a few days. Love doesn't work that way, doc so why don't you just give it to me straight and stop all the bedside manner crap."

"Okay, Mr. Booth Dr. Brennan's outlook is going to vary a lot but her recent heart failure is a bad sign." With that the doctor left Booth to wallow in the words that hung in the air.

Booth heard _heart failure and bad sign_ and had to grip the bed rails surrounding Bones to keep standing. Once he regained steadiness, Booth pulled a chair up to Bones, like he had done with their daughter, and held her hand. Booth pushed away his worry for the moment, and then told the love of his life all about their little girl who slept just a floor above them. He told her about the tiny hat, he told her about her strong little fist gripping his finger. He told her that he had told their daughter how much her mommy wanted to see her but that she couldn't for a little while. He told her that he would come see her in the morning and then he left kisses on the side of the incubator from both mommy and daddy.

Booth struggled through every word as he told Bones about their daughter. _It wasn't supposed to be this way_. Stray tears had fallen from the strong FBI agent all day, but now in the quiet of Bones' room, he let all of his grief come out in sobs. He cried into the crook of her still arm, and whispered his regrets of the day. His regret of this morning had been overshadowed by the regret of how their daughter entered the world.

It was supposed to happen like this: _Bones' water would break and she would be completely calm while Booth freaked out. He would drive like a madman to the hospital with sirens blaring, even as Bones explained that labor takes hours. They would call their friends and everyone would come see them as they waited through each contraction for their little girl to arrive. Their friends would gather in the waiting room as he brought Bones ice chips and let her squeeze his hand. She would curse at him and he would smile and let her. When it was time to push she would apologize and say she loves him and he would say he loves her. Then they'd hear their daughter's first cry and he would cut the cord. The doctor would hand the baby girl to her mother and he would kiss Bones' forehead. The three of them, a beautiful family would be the only people in the world for a few moments. Then friends and family would come and it would be the happiest day of his and Bones' lives._

Instead, he had been losing his mind in the waiting room thinking they were both dying, Bones was unconscious, and his daughter was struggling to breathe. Their love story was supposed to be the most complicated part of their lives. Now that they had found each other everything was supposed to be a fairy tale: Happily Ever After. Yes there would be ups and downs but they would get through them. Today life had given them something that maybe they wouldn't get through. That uncertainty kept Booth awake until he finally succumbed to overwhelming fatigue.


	3. The Whisper in the Room

I appreciate the reviews, I love this story more and more but an end is coming soon.

I don't own Bones

"Temperance Brennan! Dr. Temperance Brennan! What do I need to do, spell it for you? I didn't drive all night to have you numbskulls keep me from my daughter! I'll just find her myself."

"Sir, visiting hours won't start for another few hours."

"Dads don't follow visiting hours."

Booth startled awake to hear Max Keenan yelling at the night nursing staff. He glanced at the wall clock; it was a little after 4 in the morning. Booth got up and headed into the hallway to corral Max before he got himself into trouble; getting into trouble was second nature to Max Keenan.

"Max, she's down here."

"What in the Hell happened to my Tempe?"

"Lower your voice, I'll tell you everything but you need to not give them reason to call security. Sorry about him." Booth apologized to the nurse and led Max to Brennan's room. Booth appraised Max's appearance and thought it must have mirrored his own. Max's hair and clothing was disheveled and his eyes were heavy with sadness. Booth could tell that the older man in front have him had probably been driving like a madman for the past couple hours.

Booth had called Max when he first arrived at the hospital with Bones and had called to give him updates every few hours. Max had been with friends in Florida and had jumped in his car the moment Booth called, knowing the FBI agent didn't make social calls to ex-convicts, so it had to be concerning Tempe. Booth knew Max needed to hear everything again in person because he would have too. He stopped just outside Brennan's room to prepare Max for her appearance.

"Now Max she's been through extensive trauma. She has cuts on her face and arms from the wreck, her coloring is bad, and she's hooked up to….. a ventilator" Booth struggled with the last part at the memory of watching Bones' heart stop.

"A ventilator? I thought she was breathing on her own?"

"She was, but a few hours ago her heart stopped because of the all the blood loss. The doctors say it's not a good sign but they won't know anything for sure until she wakes up." _If she wakes up._ The thought brought a shiver to his whole body but he couldn't tell Max of his fear.

"Christ, Tempe." Max pinched the bridge of his nose to stop the tears that had been building since he started driving.

Booth entered first, and Max cautiously followed. Despite Booth's attempt to prepare him, nothing could have prepared Max to see his daughter laying lifeless in a hospital bed with a machine breathing for her. Booth stayed close to his daughter's grandfather to make sure he didn't hit the floor. Max shrugged Booth off and sat in the chair next to Brennan.

"Oh my Tempe, I was gone for so many years. Now I'm back and we have a wonderful relationship, so you can't go. You need to fight. You need to fight for me and Russ. You need to fight for Booth and you need to fight for your daughter. Please Tempe." Max lowered his head and released his tears on the same place Booth had just hours ago. Booth decided to give Max time alone with his daughter. It would still be a couple hours until he could see his own daughter, so Booth decided to find the chapel.

Booth hadn't stopped praying since he arrived to the accident the day before. He lit a candle for Bones, smiling weakly because he could hear her saying _"that candle will help me about as much as fairy dust would." _He lit a candle for his daughter, still unnamed. Then he knelt by the alter and bowed his head. He stayed like that for a long time, pleading and bargaining with God to save his family. After he had given Max an hour with Brennan, Booth left the chapel and returned to her room.

A nurse was checking her vitals and Max was waiting in the hallway.

"How's my granddaughter?"

"She's tiny but she's a fighter." Booth pulled his phone out and showed Max the few first pictures he had taken of his daughter.

"Oh my God she's tiny. And she's on a ventilator like Tempe?"

"Yea being so premature, her lungs are a little weak. She also needs a feeding tube because she weighs so little."

"She's beautiful though, looks just like her mother." Max choked a little on _mother_, fearing that beautiful little girl would have to grow up without one. "Booth I'm here for whatever they need, for whatever you need. We can take shifts being with both girls. I've always known you were a good man, and seeing how much you love my daughter and how much she loves you has been a highlight of my life. I consider you a son, and I know that your world is upside down right now. I'm here." Max was not one to express emotions, especially with another man, but the reality of the situation in front of him made him speak up.

"I appreciate that Max. I know it took a while for you and Bones to reconcile, but you should know how much she loves you, even if she hasn't always said it. She was…_is_ excited for our daughter to have a grandfather. She knows you will be there, and so do I."

The sharing of emotions had made both men equally uncomfortable but both appreciated the other's sentiment.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B

Max and Booth spent the next couple days splitting their time with Brennan and baby girl Booth. Angela came around noon each day to see her best friend and her goddaughter. Hodgins, Cam, and Sweets all checked in, asking if there was anything that they could do. Even Caroline called to check on her favorite FBI agent and his family.

Health wise the first two days were uneventful. Brennan didn't wake up but she also didn't get any worse. Their daughter was progressing as well as to be expected. Max could tell that with each day that Brennan made no change; Booth was losing it a little. The man hadn't slept more than a few hours since the accident, and had barely touched any food.

The doctors had said Bones' brain function couldn't be determined for a few days. Now a few days had passed and nothing. No change, she wasn't breathing on her own, her eyes never twitched, let alone opened. Each night Booth stared into her face, willing her to wake up and look at him. When Max was with the baby and Booth was alone with his love he talked to her. He reminded her of their plans, dreams and hopes for their future. He kept the hope that like when she told him a story during his coma, that she would wake up and remember him and their baby and their life. _She had to wake up. She had to remember him and their daughter. She had to be okay._

On the third day Max was on the fourth floor with the still unnamed baby girl and Booth waited for the doctors in Bones' room. They had taken her for an MRI and the results were due any minute. Booth sat stoically in his place next to Brennan. His mind was blank, frazzled with worry and exhaustion. He hadn't noticed the doctor come in until he announced his presence with a cough.

"Mr. Booth, you need to rest or we'll have to admit you." The doctor was only half joking. The man before him looked to be on his last leg and fading fast.

"Please tell me there's good news. I really need there to be good news."

"Dr. Brennan's brain scans show increased activity from when she first was admitted. Her brain activity is still slightly below where we'd like to see it but that fact that it's improving is a very good sign."

"So she's getting better, but she's still in danger?"

"Well she's breathing over the ventilator now so we can take her off of it and her heart is doing fine. As long as her brain scans keep showing improvement I feel confident in her chances."

"Well that's far from a guarantee but I'll take it for now. Small victories right?"

"Yes, that's the right attitude when you're dealing with brain traumas like hers. We'll keep doing scans every few hours to track her progress. I'll keep you up to date."

"Thanks doc."

The doctor left, promising to go give Max the update. Booth leaned into Bones and kissed her forehead.

"I know you are the most stubborn person I have ever met, but if you could just wake up, I would really appreciate it."

Reassured for the moment, Booth stretched out on the empty bed he had woken up in days earlier. He could feel the exhaustion taking over. Bones wasn't going anywhere, Max was with the baby. Now seemed like the best time to catch a few winks.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B

"Booth….Booth….Booth" a small, coarse voice whispered.

Booth sat straight up at the sound of his a name. His sniper training had prepared him to hear what others didn't but he would have known her voice even without it. He had been dreaming of the first night he and Bones stayed in their house. The furniture hadn't arrived yet so they shared a sleeping bag and slept in front the fireplace in the den. It had been a perfect night. Reality pulled him from his memories when he realized that the voice was coming from across the room.

Bones still had her eyes closed, but she was definitely calling his name. Booth jumped out of bed and made it to her in three steps.

"Bones! Say it again. Say my name."

"Booth. Baby?" her eyes squinted in pain.

"Oh Bones I was so worried. I love you so much. Doc!" he hit the call button repeatedly and kissed Bones on the mouth. "You've been in a coma for days and they didn't know if you'd ever wake up. Our daughter is tiny but strong. She looks just like you." Booth couldn't stop the flow of information sprouting from his mouth.

"Baby?" tears leaked from Bones' still closed eyes.

Bones' limited vocabulary was making Booth start to panic. The doctor and a few nurses came rushing in.

"She's awake but she's only saying two words."

"Let's do another scan. Her brain has been recovering Mr. Booth; she might need a couple days to get her previous vocabulary back. I want to do some more tests to rule out any extensive damage though."

As they started wheeling her away, Booth kissed Bones' hand and promised to be here when she got back. Booth then raced up to the fourth floor to tell Max. He left out the part about Bones only saying two words. There was no need to make Max worry until they knew something for sure. The two men hugged briefly and then Booth sat down with his daughter while Max phoned Angela at the Lab. Booth told his daughter that her mommy might be able to see her soon. He silently prayed she would be the mommy he knew she wanted to be, not this new Brennan.

He knew he was overreacting. How could he expect her to wake up after being in a coma for days and experiencing so many traumas and be like herself? It had taken him months to become himself again. He had also made a life altering realization during his coma; he was in love with Bones. What if brain damage wasn't the only thing he needed to worry about? What if she had a life altering realization that didn't involve spending her life with him? He shook the thought away. He was getting ahead of himself.

He looked at his daughter and let himself just get lost in loving her. He loved Parker this way, he loved Bones this way; the kind of love that he would lay his life down for. Bones would be okay, they would raise their daughter and his son, and they would have whatever life they chose.

The final chapter is coming soon


	4. The Smile in the Dark

This is the final chapter. Thanks for reading. I have really enjoyed this process

I don't' own Bones

Bones stayed awake and her scans were all coming back normal. She had trouble finding the words she wanted to say, and when she did find them they usually came out in the wrong order. She was becoming increasingly agitated. Booth sat next to her bed, trying to calm her down.

"Accident I car, okay baby?" she stumbled with each word. She shook her head knowing it sounded wrong but not realizing why. Tears of frustration stung her eyes and spilled over her bruised cheeks.

"It's okay Bones. You slept for a couple days and went through a lot of trauma. The words will come back, I promise." He squeezed her hand. "You were driving to work, because I was being an idiot. Some guy driving home after working a night shift fell asleep at the wheel and crossed the center lane in front of the diner and hit you head on. They brought you here and delivered our daughter, and now you're both on your way to recovering." As Booth spoke he watched Bones face shift from frustration, to pain at remembering the accident, to wide eyed worry when he mentioned their daughter.

"Early baby too!" Bones was getting more and more upset. Then she tried to get out of bed, but soon found her body betraying her by barely moving.

"Whoa Bones, your muscles are weak right now. You're not going anywhere. She's fine, she's really small, but she's a fighter like you." Booth pulled out his phone to show her their daughter. Pain tugged at his heart because a mother shouldn't have to see her baby for the first time in a picture, she should get to hold her.

Bones grabbed at the phone to get a closer look. Her brain may be fuzzy but she would have known who she was looking at no matter what. The tiny angel on the screen resembled Bones' own mother. This beautiful baby girl did appear to look fine, even with tubes and wires attached. Seeing those reminded Brennan that her daughter was just one floor above her. Yet since neither mother nor baby was stable enough to move, Brennan would have to wait to meet her daughter. This realization made the tears flow freely and she choked out a sob.

"Bones, are you in pain?"

"I see want to my…baby!" her voice cracked at "baby." More sobs came out.

"I know, Bones, I know. And you will. You just need to focus on getting better, and she'll grow and then we can all go home." Booth hugged Bones gingerly to his chest and felt her tears soak through his shirt. He thought the days he spent waiting for Bones to wake up were Hell, but seeing her suffer and not be able to see their daughter was worse. In both situations there was nothing for him to do and he hated feeling helpless more than anything.

Hearing about the accident and her baby had exhausted the already weakened Brennan so she soon fell asleep. Booth hated watching her fall asleep, fearing that something would happen and she wouldn't wake up again. He had thought once she woke up that most of his worry would pass but he found he only worried more. He hadn't been able to shake the thought that when she woke up she would change her mind about loving him. Her reaction to their daughter was what he had expected and he found comfort in that even if she didn't love him; at least she loved their daughter. The accident could never have stopped Brennan from loving that little girl. He had been afraid to broach the subject of them thought. Bones hadn't been awake that long and she had only been focused on the baby. Booth would just have to take it a day at a time and hope she still wanted a life with him.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B

**2 MONTHS LATER**

"Go away Booth!" Brennan yelled. She hated when he came around.

"Oh come on Bones. Let me watch." Booth said with a smile.

"Fine, just don't make me lose concentration."

"I would never."

Brennan was with her physical therapist, about to make her way across the room without the use of any equipment for the first time since her accident. She had been improving faster than any of her doctors predicted, but anyone who knew Temperance Brennan knew she was extraordinary. Booth had been by her side every step of the way, usually to her annoyance. He tried to hang back, knowing she needed to recover, not to have him as a crutch.

After a month she had become stable enough to meet her daughter for the first time. Christine, named for her maternal grandmother, had been recovering just like her mother, faster than expected. By the time Brennan was strong enough to see her daughter; Christine had grown enough to be held. As it should be, Brennan was the first person to hold the beautiful little girl. Booth stood next to her and finally got the moment he had always dreamed about, seeing the love of his life holding their baby for the first time. He kissed Bones' forehead and they stayed in the nursery all day, cooing and kissing their little girl.

Brennan and Christine had a strong support system including Booth, Max, everyone from the Lab, and Sweets. Happy to see their anthropologist start returning to her old self, each one played a part in her recovery. She didn't have substantial memory loss but some things were still fuzzy. Angela helped Brennan remember lost memories. Hodgins and Cam helped her regain her medical knowledge. Sweets helped her deal with the trauma of the accident and her daughter's birth. Each member worked together on their most important case yet, restoring the center of their group.

Max's presence surprised Brennan in the best way. She had trusted him since he walked back into her life a couple years ago but as he showed his love by being there with her and her family every day. She had soon found herself forgiving him. She never thought she would be able to fully let go of the past and forgive him but one day when he was sleeping by her bedside she realized she no longer felt angry at him; she just felt love.

Of course Booth had been the most important part of her fast recovery. He had been the first one there when she woke up disoriented in a hospital bed. She could faintly remember hearing his voice when she had been asleep. She smiled knowing that he had talked to her like she had talked to him in his coma. Seeing him with their daughter made her feel something she couldn't describe. She loved the both of them more than she thought one person was capable of loving anything. She could tell in the first few weeks after she woke up that he was worried about more than her health. As she returned to her previous self, knowing everything about him including how he thought, she realized that he was worried that she would change her mind. He had told her that during his coma he realized he was in love with her, so now he thought she would wake up not loving him anymore. How could he possibly think she could ever not love him? She knew the answer; they had both already broken each other's hearts. But still, he should know by now that he is the love of her life. They were going to have a wonderful life, raising Christine and Parker and facing any challenges the universe threw at them. They had a lot of practice getting through life's hurdles together and she never wanted to go back to facing them alone.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B

Now that Brennan and Christine had made consistent progress, they were both being discharged. Booth had been waiting to take his girls home for two long months, but now that the day had finally arrived, Bones didn't seem as happy as he thought she would be. His anxiety about whether or not she would change her mind about loving him fluctuated day to day. Some days she would be as affectionate as she was since they started their relationship, other days she seemed distant and very much like the old Bones who refused to believe in love. Today seemed like one of those days. Bones had seemed lost in thought all day, only lighting up when she held Christine. Every day she loved their daughter like only a mother can love. She covered her in kisses and checked the car seat three times to make sure it was buckled in right. Booth smiled as he glanced in his rearview mirror, watching his two beautiful girls. Seeing them together made him believe Bones still loved him. _They were a family_.

Their first day at home went by without incident. Bones rocked Christine to sleep that night and gently laid her in the bassinet next to her and Booth's bed. He was downstairs talking to Hacker. She knew he didn't mind taking a leave of absence to be there for his family, Booth would do anything for them, but he had to return in a couple days. She had grown used to him being around all the time, and didn't like to think about him going to work now. Like Max, Booth showed Brennan how much he loved her by being there every step of the way while she recovered. She was going to miss spending the day with him and Christine. Seeing him love their daughter like she loved their daughter made her realize something between her and Booth had changed when she was asleep. Tonight she decided to talk to him about it.

Booth hung up with his boss and headed upstairs. He knew he had to go back to work, the girls were healthy now, but he couldn't stand the thought of being away from them. He walked in their bedroom, kissed Christine goodnight and climbed into bed with Bones. He could tell by the way she was propped up by the pillows that she had been waiting for him and she looked like she was nervous. Booth felt his heart start racing.

"Booth, we need to talk."

Booth had feared those exact words for weeks and now they were here. He turned himself towards her, "Okay. What's on your mind Bones?"

"I've made a realization since the accident and Christine's birth and we need to talk about it."

_Here it comes_, Booth thought, _she's about to take everything away._

"Bones you've been through a lot, I don't think now is the time for chan…."

"Booth please just let me say what I need to say while I have the nerve" Brennan interrupted.

"Okay" Booth tried to brace himself for the pain he knew was coming.

"Booth, you and I haven't been together that long. Yes we've been partners for years, but being in an intimate, exclusive relationship is very different than what we were."

_I can't not be in love with her, _Booth thought_, We can't go back_.

"I find it hard to explain how I feel when I'm with you. You make me feel protected yet strong. You make me feel loved. And seeing you love our daughter has been an amazing experience that I never knew I even wanted."

Brennan could see Booth's face shift from worried and sad to utterly confused but she kept going while she was on a roll.

"Being asleep, unable to come back to you or Christine," Bones looked over at her sleeping angel, "was awful. That experience has made me realize how valuable the family you have given me is. You, Christine, and Parker are my whole world now and I couldn't be happier. I know in the past I have been stubborn and you have bent backwards to compromise with me. Now I realize I need to compromise for you because you have made my life greater than I could have dreamed it to be."

_Is she saying what I think she's saying?_

"Seeley Joseph Booth, you have loved me and shown me how to love. You have given me the greatest gift, a beautiful daughter. Will you be my husband?"

Booth was breathless. He never thought Bones would marry him, even after their daughter was born. He loved her enough not to push for it, but deep down he would always want her to be his wife. Having two rejections under his belt, he vowed not to ask her unless he knew without a doubt she would say yes. Now this beautiful woman before him had pushed aside her own principles to make him happy.

"Bones, I love you and I know you love me. You don't have to do this. The offer is enough to keep me happy for the rest of our lives."

"Is that a no?" Brennan looked genuinely disappointed.

"Of course not, I just don't want you to do something you don't believe in just to make me happy."

"I want to do it because I love you. You told me that was the only reason to get married."

"Bones I love you with every beat of my heart, being your husband would be the greatest honor my life."

"Is that a ye…" Booth's mouth covered hers, interrupting her.

"Yes, yes, yes" saying each one with a kiss, Booth held Bones in his arms.

B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B&B

Staring at the ceiling, Booth couldn't sleep. The smile on his face wouldn't go away and his mind was racing with his heart. She loved him. She was going to marry him. Bones was going to be his wife. He felt guilty for thinking that she was going to tell him she didn't love him. He had never been so happy in his life; Bones slept peacefully in his arms and their little angel lay safe just a few feet away. Their life together was just beginning but he found it hard to imagine how it could get better than this.

The End

Thanks you so much for the reviews. I consider this a successful first attempt at fanfiction and I hope to write more soon.


End file.
